Dear Families and Friends of Peace,
As of yesterday, Ash Wednesday, we have officially begun the season of Lent.
Lent echoes the 40 days that Jesus spent wandering through the wilderness, facing temptation. In Matthew’s Gospel, this journey happens immediately following his baptism from John, and is followed by his three years of ministry.
During this season, we will follow Jesus on his 40 day journey to the cross—but it should also be noted that this is a journey to resurrection and eternal life too.
Now, the acknowledgement of our mortality is important. Receiving the ashes and hearing the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return” is a sacred reminder that we will all eventually die.
It’s also an important reminder of our baptisms, where we are affirmed in God’s promise that just as we are united in death with Jesus, we are also united with him in resurrection.
Because of Jesus, we are able to face the realities of suffering and death in our Lenten journeys. But we are also able to see that Lent is a season of hope and a season of promise because of Jesus too.
It’s a season that reminds us that death does not have the last word–a season that recognizes our pain and sorrow, but also proclaims God’s deep compassion for us.
Jesus may have wandered in solitude for 40 days and nights through the wilderness, but he also gives us the eternal hope that we will never walk alone. God, through the Holy Spirit, is our constant companion.
So may we wander this road and embrace the realities around us—of suffering and death, of resurrection and eternal life—in the Holy name of Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace,
Joe
One Final Reminder:
The registration deadline for Camp Wapo Seeds, Camp Wapo Youth Camp, and Family Camp at Wilderness Canoe Base is today—Thursday, February 15.
Please let me know if you have any issues signing up, or if you are in need of additional time—the deadline for family camp is not as stringent as the deadline for Camp Wapo.